Once More Unto the Breach
by liron-aria
Summary: Justin reads comics and cheerfully relates them to Tommy. Tommy reads between the lines and broods on the life of a Ranger.


A/N: A brief break in my hiatus until March, written in airports and in between making Christmas presents and attempting a lab report while listening to "When We Stand Together" by Nickelback.

That being said, I do not own Power Rangers, Batman, Robin, or any of the assorted DCU characters mentioned. All credit goes to Saban, Nickelodeon, DC Comics, and its writers.

So sit back (perhaps with some eggnog), relax, read, and enjoy!

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><p>Justin's favorite comic book hero is Robin, primarily Dick Grayson. He never tires of regaling Tommy and his team with the exploits of the young hero and his acrobatic feats of wonder as he takes on the villains of Gotham.<p>

" – And _look_, Tommy, he just _somersaults_ over the Joker like it's _nothing_ and then _bam!_ –"

Tommy forces a small smile as he wraps Justin's ankle, newly sprained from a battle against Piranhatrons. Justin doesn't seem to mind in the least, too busy retelling Robin's actions in his well-worn copy of _Batman and Robin_. Tommy half-listens, making noises of surprise and agreement in all the right places.

What are they doing, bringing a child into their war?

"And then he becomes _Nightwing_, and look, Tommy, his costume's blue, too, just like mine!"

Justin, as the team's Blue Ranger, is subject to every Ranger's preference to their own color, even more so because he's still young. He likes Blue clothes, blue stationery, blue heroes. Nightwing would probably rank among his favorite heroes even if he weren't a former Robin.

" – And it's not just the Blue costume," Justin continues earnestly, "He's a detective just like Batman, _and_ he leads the Teen Titans and he has this _awesome_ bo staff –"

"Staffs aren't all they're cracked up to be," Tommy teases. "Don't put too much weight on that foot for a few hours, alright?"

Justin gets off the medical cot with Tommy's help. He blinks up at his older friend, commenting, "You know, you're like Batman, Tommy."

Tommy's eyebrows rose. "Yeah?"

"Yeah!" Justin enthuses, "You're both masters of martial arts and can use all sorts of weapons and never give up and always beat the bad guy!"

Tommy chuckles and asks as they teleport out, "If I'm Batman, who does that make you?"

"Robin, of course!"

Tommy watches Justin hobble back home to a father who won't even notice with a heavy heart.

Batman and Robin indeed.

Tommy's read his fair share of comic books; he's the one who sparked Justin's love for them. He remembers the darker side to Batman and Robin's story. He remembers young Dick Grayson beaten within an inch of his life by Two-Face. He remembers the arguments and rift between him and his mentor that pushed him to leave Gotham and commit to the Teen Titans as Nightwing.

Justin gets injured on the field often enough, they all do. He can easily see Divatox sending a few more Piranhatrons to focus on Justin while the rest of the team is busy. And what happens when Justin grows up and decides he doesn't like the way they fight? That the cost of this War is too high? Will he walk away? Will he remake himself as someone new?

Tommy remembers Jason Todd, beaten bloody and blown up by the Joker, leaving his mentor scarred and broken for many years. Is he going to find himself standing over Justin's dead and mangled body? Will he one day be too late to protect his younger teammate? And what then? How will he tell Justin's father?

Robins don't have a good history with fathers. Dick Grayson and Jason Todd lost theirs before taking on the mantle, but Tim Drake, the third to wear the red-green-yellow costume, watched as his father lay paralyzed and in a coma. Tommy dreads the day Justin finds himself in a similar position. Their families are civilians, and civilians are always targets in the War, no matter how hard they try to protect them.

And then there's Batman himself. If it were just about the gadgets and skills, Tommy wouldn't mind being Batman. Bruce Wayne is rich, gets the girl, kicks ass, and inspires fear in the hearts of his enemies. His mind is as sharp as a diamond, his body at the peak of physical perfection, and his martial arts skill second to none. And despite it all, he's still a man.

A man so scarred by tragedy that it defines his very being. A man so devoted to the Mission that it precludes every other relationship in his life. A man whose third sidekick only joined because he thought he was needed to preserve the other's sanity.

If Tommy's honest with himself, he _terrified_ of becoming Batman. Of becoming the suit and no longer the man. The day the Power Ranger becomes his reality, the human-student-martial artist the disguise…

He prays that day will never actually come. He prays that he never pushes away Kat or Adam because "the Mission" comes first.

But maybe he already has.

Jason, Trini, Zack, Kim, Billy… They left and he stayed behind. Kim broke up with him, Maligore's magic revealing her sense of separation for her friends. Jason left, came back, and left again, Maligore's spell revealing his sense of weakness without the Power. He hasn't heard from Billy in almost a month, Trini and Zack in almost a year. The Ranger life is hard, and the cost is more than some can bear. Batman's sidekicks come and go as their work in Gotham takes its toll, but Batman stays. Always.

How long will _he_ be a Ranger?

Batman and Robin save the day and bring hope to the citizens of Gotham. The Power Rangers save the day and bring hope to the people of Angel Grove.

They are legends. Larger than life.

Few people know their identities, and fewer still know what they suffer.

And when one falls or leaves for better things, another rises to take their place.

Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake.

Jason Scott, Rocky DeSantos, Justin Stewart. Zack Taylor, Adam Park. Trini Kwan, Aisha Campbell, Tanya Sloan. Kim Hart, Katherine Hillard.

Bruce Wayne.

Tommy Oliver.

The veteran Ranger breaks free of his musings as his communicator beeps.

"_Rangers, there has been a disturbance downtown,_" Alpha informed them.

Tommy's already downtown, and can see the small group of Piranhatrons at the end of the road.

"We're on it," Tommy replies, bringing his wrist up to his lips. "Adam, meet me downtown. Justin, stay where you are."

"_Aw, but Tommy!"_

Tommy chuckles slightly, remembering how much he hated to stay on the sidelines when he started as a Ranger. "Not until your ankle heals up, kiddo."

The War between Good and Evil is not a fair fight. There are child soldiers. There are innocent casualties, no matter how hard they fight. But for the sake of the children who _do not_ take up the sword, for the sake of the innocents and their right to sleep in peace at night, it is a War they _must_ fight.

For the sake of the Earth, for the sake of the Universe, the War between Good and Evil is one they cannot afford to lose.

Heroes need to rise up and fight.

**"Shift into Turbo!"**

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><p>AN: And there you have it. What did you think? Please, leave a review!


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